Possible frontrunners in the race to replace Premier Gordon Campbell as leader of the BC Liberals continued to be coy about their intentions Friday.
At a crime-prevention symposium in Surrey, Mayor Dianne Watts and Solicitor General Rich Coleman were palling around, joking that they might even run together for the party leadership.
"It's never been done before," Watts said.
"Tag team -- one month on, one month off," Coleman added.
Watts is widely considered to be an ideal candidate, because she's not linked to the unpopular Campbell or the even more unpopular harmonized sales tax.
But she isn't saying whether she's ready to enter the race.
"I'm not campaigning for anything. I'm the mayor of Surrey," she told CTV News.
On The Bill Good Show on CKNW radio on Friday, Campbell was asked whether his decision to stay on as leader for another five months would dampen the leadership race and prevent contenders from speaking out against the HST.
The premier dismissed that idea. "If that's what they feel they have to say and if that's what they believe, then they should say that," he said.
Coleman said he doesn't think Campbell's continued leadership would impact the race.
"I don't think that makes any difference. It's very different campaigning to the party members. It's not the same as public campaigning for a provincial election."
But political scientist Dennis Pilon says that it will be difficult for candidates who are also cabinet ministers to set themselves apart from Gordon Campbell when he's still running the show.
"The fact that Campbell is sitting there is really hamstringing these people, because they're not going to feel they can speak freely, particularly about things they had agreed to," he said.
Campbell has ruled out appointing an interim leader, because he believes that would create an unstable situation.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Jim Beatty
